Tourism industry officials are kicking off the summer season with National Tourism Week.

It’s a week of preparation for the influx of tourists expected in South Dakota. Tourism brings in almost $4 billion dollars.

However, not everyone is convinced a tourism based economy is healthy for a community.

Tourism brings in the big bucks. It’s the second largest industry in South Dakota behind agriculture. Observers say roughly 14 million visitors come to South Dakota every year, and that number is increasing.

As we celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week, we also take a look at the struggles of a tourism-based economy. Jennifer Sherman is Associate Professor of Sociology at Washington State University. Her research looks at the ways in which job loss, poverty, and economic strain affect families, particularly in rural U.S. communities.

She's author of the book Those who Work, Those who Don't: Poverty, Morality, and Family in Rural America.

Canadian Consul General Paul Connors is based in Minneapolis. He recently visited South Dakota to visit with Governor Dennis Daugaard. We spoke with him last week after that visit. We talked about the role of a consul general, Canada's 150th birthday, and, most importantly, the economic partnership between South Dakota farms and businesses and our neighbor to the north.

South Dakota residents are no stranger to drought. The state’s position in the U-S and many unique landforms impact our weather—and in some years, keep the moisture away. This year has brought extremely dry weather over most of South Dakota—with agriculture, tourism and nearly every other segment of life affected.

Where should we put the state's only law school? Declining applicants, smaller classes, and concerns about life after law school are just a few reasons the University of South Dakota is taking the relocation of the Law School into consideration. While the proposed move would land the school just an hour north of Vermillion in Sioux Falls, the question resulted in a five-hour task force panel that ended in plans for the next meeting. SDPB's Jackie Hendry covered the proceedings, and she's here with highlights.

Break out your comic collection and your peace-tied costume weaponry. Shane Gerlach, Vice-Chairman and Talent Coordinator for SiouxperCon. It's a fan convention that celebrates Comic books, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Anime, board games, and video gaming. It's in Sioux Falls this Friday. We talk about artistry, the culture insight of comics and graphic novels, and the power of finding a place where you belong.

South Dakota’s Secretary of Tourism says you should take Friday off. It’s National Travel and Tourism week, and state officials are seizing the opportunity to lure people away from their desks and into the wild. They also celebrate South Dakotans who promote tourism in their everyday work.

Workers at the South Dakota Department of Tourism have a long week promoting their industry. Secretary Jim Hagen says an expectation remains: employees should use their paid time off.

Katie Ceroll is the South Dakota Game Fish and Park division director for parks. The agency has announced a “pause” in the conversations about land exchanges in the state (Spearfish Canyon / Bismark Lake). Ceroll discusses how public input influenced the decision and what comes next in the collaborative conversation.

If you're planning a camping road trip over the 4th of July you are not alone. Officials are predicting record travel this holiday weekend and reservations at state park campgrounds are already full. Lynn Spomer is with South Dakota Game Fish and Parks. She says holiday weekends usually fill up early. She encourages visitors to still enjoy all of the parks’ activities and events beyond camping.

National parks have a positive impact on the nation’s economy. The National Park Service is celebrating its centennial year and reports the parks contribute $300-billion to the national economy and support nearly 2 million jobs.

Sally Jewell is the Secretary of the Interior. She says in her department’s annual economic report, public lands and waters also support state and local economies and create improved quality of life.

Lori Walsh with Gregg Laskoski, Senior Petroleum Analyst for GasBuddy.com. Laskoski returns to Dakota Midday to discuss the driving outlook and gas prices for South Dakota as we kick off the season of tourism and road trips. He’ll also discuss expectations for beyond the summer months and about mobile services available to consumers. To access an app for South Dakota gas prices, you can go to http://southdakotagasprices.com.

South Dakotans list agriculture as the number one driver of economic development. That’s according to a recent survey that polled people nationally and gathered data in three separate states. Some people’s perceptions of the economy don’t jibe directly with information from businesses.

A Wells Fargo and USA Today survey polled South Dakotans to find out which sectors they think contribute to a healthy economy. The top responses in order were agriculture, health care, education, construction, and retail.

One report shows growth in tourism sales tax revenue is not as robust as some might like. Tourism is the state’s second largest industry. Events like the Sturgis Rally are key for many business who rely on visitor spending.

Rapid City’s Art Alley is known as a place of free form expression. Graffiti artists are allowed to paint on the walls of the alley between 6th and 7th streets in the middle of downtown.

But some building owners in the alley have complained and some even called for the alley to be closed to altogether. In a compromise a new permit system is being set up for artists who want to show off their work in the alley.

2015 was a record breaking year for South Dakota tourism. The industry saw all time highs in visitor spending and economic growth. Tourists spent nearly four billion dollars in the state, contributing more than two billion dollars in Gross Domestic Product to South Dakota’s economy.

The Custer State Park Buffalo Round Up is 50 years old. Each year the park corrals its buffalo and sells off some animals to keep the heard from growing too large. The 50th annual event delighted the huge crowd of spectators as the wranglers on horseback and park personal in vehicles drove the bison across the rolling hills and finally into a large corral.

The South Dakota Department of Tourism has released numbers from 2014. Despite a slow start because of bad weather, tourism secretary Jim Hagen says overall the state’s tourism industry had a strong year with a growth of two-and-a-half percent, creating a nearly $2 billion dollar impact on the state’s economy. The statistics were released during last week’s Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Secretary Hagen joined Dakota Midday and discussed the 2o14 numbers and the "banner year" he expects for 2015.

As people travel across South Dakota, tourist attractions lure them in with such enticing things as petrified wood sculptures, animatronic cowboys,jackelopes and miniature Conestoga wagons. These attractions are sometimes dismissed as “tourist traps,” but Wall Drug, the Corn Palace, Kadoka Petrified Gardens, Reptile Gardens and other places are an iconic part of the South Dakota experience.

Be a tourist with Dakota life as we climb Harney Peak, stroll around Rapid City, take a trip along US Highway 83 and stop by Wall Drug. Click here to watch it LIVE Thursday, October 2 at 8:00 pm CT (7 MT)

Dakota life examines the people, places and history of South Dakota each month. The half-hour program travels throughout the state to strengthen our knowledge about the state and the bonds between people who live here.

South Dakota’s tourism secretary Jim Hagen has been named State Tourism Director of the Year by the U.S. Travel Association’s National Council of State Tourism Directors. The award was announced on Monday during the association’s educational seminar for tourism organizations in Louisville, Kentucky. Hagen was the first South Dakotan to receive the award since Susan Edwards in 1994. Hagen has served as South Daakota's Secretary of Tourism since his appointment by Governor Dennis Daugaard in 2011.